Universal coupling.



L. JONES.

UNIVERSAL COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20. l9l7. 1,271,905. Patented July 9,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

L. JONES.

UNIVERSAL COUPLING.

Patented July 9,1918. r. 2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

v O o wo 1 Y w W w h .iiw QM 4, while ,the female members are LLOYD JONES, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED ENGINEERING AND FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed December 20, 1917. Serial No. 208,159.

ment in Universal Couplings, of which the following is a full, clear and exact description, reference being had to the'accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a rolling mill drive embodying the invention. 11Fig. 2 is a plan view of the coupling spin- C e.

Fig. 3 is a coupling.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Flg. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are a plan view and longitudinal section, respectively, of the. wear plate in which the shoes are mounted.

Figs. 7 and 8 are a plan view and section, respectively, on one of the bearing shoes, and

Fig. 9 is an under elevation of the face plate carried on the driving shaft.

The present invention relates to universal couplings. The invention is illustrated as embodied in universal shaft couplings applied to a rolling mill drive. I

The object of the invention is to provide a coupling of this character in which the wear is so distributed that the parts will not readily wear out, and in which the parts subject to the greatest wear may be easily removed and renewed. The invention also rel-ates to certain other features hereinafter more particularly pointed'out, the advantages of which will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following descript-ion.

Referring to of the invention, the driving shaft 2 and mill roll shaft 3 are connected by coupling spindle 4, which permits the mill roll .to be moved up and down. The coupling s indle is connected with the two shafts by fl eXible couplings embodying the invention. As shown in the drawings, the male members of the couplings are formed on the spindle carried by the drive and mill roll shafts. It will be understood, however, that the male and fevertical section through the which are inset in the and 8. The bearing shoes 11 have spherical fed with oil through the illustrated embodiment 7 male 'members of the couplings might be interchanged. The two couplings shown in the drawings are ofithe same structure, and

corresponding reference characters are applied to each.

Each coupling comprises a head 5 bolted and keyed to the face plate 6 which is carried on the shaft 2 or 3; The head 5 has two parallel jaws 7 and 8 between whichlie tongues?) formed on opposite ends of the spindle 4. The tongues 9 have flat bearing faces 10. Interposed between the jaws and tongue are bearing. shoes 11, two pairs of shoes being employed in each coupling. The shoes 11 are mounted in wear plates 12,

faces 13, which engage in the recess 14 in faces of the jaws 7- Patented July 9.191s.

the wear plates 12' to form ball and socket The other faces 15 of the bearing joints.

sliding fit with the shoes are flat to give a tongue 9. The bearing spindle 4.

The driving pressure against the bearing surfaces of the coupling, is distributed over the faces of the bearing shoes 13 which, by virtue of the ball and socket connection, are self-adjusting to distribute the pressure substantially uniformly over their bearing surfaces. In this Way localized and excessive Wear on the .parts is prevented. The coupling may be disassembled for renewal or for repair by slipping off the retaining sleeve 20, which serves to hold the tongue in place between the jaws.

In the illustrated embodiment,- the coupling which is attached to the driving shaft,

which is at the lower end of thespindle 4 in usual rolling mill practice, is' provided with a thrust bearing block 21 fitting against a bearing block 22 on the end of the spindle.

shoes arefur'nis-hed withflubricating channels 16 which may be the oil holes 17 in the By forming the socket bearings 14 in the I 12, instead of directly. in faces 7 and 8, such sockets may be formed. These wear plates wear plates of the jaws, more accurately also provide effective means for adjustment 1 to take up wear, which occurs between the sockets and the shoes. This may be readily effected by inserting shims of the necessarythickness between one or both of the wear plates and their seats on the jaws. This is structures of universal couplings within thescope of the. following claims.

I claim:

1. A universal coupling comprising two members to be coupled, one of said members having jaws and the other member havinga tongue extending between the jaws, and bearing shoes interposed between the ton ue and jaws having ball and socket mounting in one member and a sliding fit with the other member, substantially as described.

2. A universal coupling comprising two members to be coupled, one of said members having jaws and the other member having a tongue extending between the jaws, and bearing shoes interposed between the tongue and jaws eccentric to the longitudinal axis of the coupling, said bearing shoes having spherical bearing surfaces engaging one member and fiat bearing surfaces engaging the other member, substantially as described.

3. A universal coupling comprising two members to be coupled, one of said members having jaws and the other member having a tongue extending between the jaws, bearing shoes interposed between the tongue and jaws eccentric to the longitudinal axis of the coupling and having ball and socket connections with one of said members, subrantially asdescribed.

l. A. universal coupling comprising two members to be coupled, one of said members having jaws and the other tongue extending between the jaws, and bearing shoes disposed in pairs on opposite faces of the tongue and at each side of the longitudinal axis of the coupling and having ball and socket mountings In one of said I members,- substantially as described.

5. A universal coupling comprising two members to be couple one of sald members when the 7 coupling and having and member having ahaving jaws and the other membeiahaving a tongue extending between the jaws, means for removably retaining the tongue between the jaws, and bearing shoes interposed between the tongue and jaws and having ball and socket mountings in one of the members and so disposed as to be removable the jaws; substantially as described.

6. A universal coupling comprising two. members to be coupled, one of said members having jaws and the other member having a tongue extending between, the jaws, said tongue having fiat bearing surfaces at op-. poslte sides thereof, and bearing shoes having ball and'socket mountings in the jaws eccentric to the longitudinal axis of the fiat faces slidablyfitting against the faces of the tongues; substantially as described. v

. 7. A universal coupling comprising two i members to be coupled, onebf said members having jaws and the other member having a tongue extending between. the I jaws, J Y andbearing shoes interposedbetween'the tongue and jaws and having ball and socket mounting in one member and a'sliding nt with the other, there bein a pair of the shoes at each side of the-longitudinal axis of the coupling; substantially as described.

' universal coupling comprising two members to be coupled, one of said members havingijaws and the other member having a tongue extending between the jaws, bearing shoes interposed between the tongue and jaws having ball and socket mounting in one member and a sliding fit with the other member, the socket mountings being formed in wear plates seated on said jaws substantially as described. r A universal coupling comprising two members to be coupled, one of said members having jaws and the other member having a tongue extending between the jaws, beartongue is removed from between ing shoes interposed between the tongue and aws having ball and socket. mounting 111 one member and a sliding fit with the other member, the socket mountingsbeing formed my hand.

LLOYD JONES; 

